Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Built for 90 Days, Mars Rovers Mark 5 Years

Spirit, Opportunity brave adversity, and they're not done yet

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 3, 2009 3:55 PM CST

(Newser) – NASA’s twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity are celebrating their fifth birthdays on Mars after surviving more than 20 times their expected lifespan, Space.com reports. The two probes were each built for a 90-day trek across the Red Planet but have survived computer glitches... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

There are no comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Miami Face-Eater Identified

Chagas Disease the 'New AIDS of the Americas'

Space.com (Source Grid »)

But Viking 1 still holds rover record
MSNBC

Rovers will be pushed until 'wheels fall off'
Space.com

Tensions high between Obama team, NASA
New York Times

Obama may merge NASA, Pentagon space programs
Fox News

Science

NASA • Mars • Opportunity • Spirit • rover

More Newser Stories

Mars Rovers Dodge NASA Cuts

Budget called for 1 to hibernate, 1 to go part-time

(NEWSER) - NASA has spared its far-flung Mars rovers from budget cuts, reports the Washington Post, after its administrator got wind of the plan to hibernate Spirit and roll Opportunity back to part time. "Closing down either of the rovers is not on the table," his spokesman said, and underlings are looking elsewhere for cuts. More»

$4M NASA Cut May Strand Mars Rover

Shrinking budget could also leave 300 jobless

(NEWSER) - NASA confirmed and denied plans today to scuttle a Mars rover and fire 300 employees, CNN reports. The space agency first announced a $4 million cut to the Mars program's $20 million budget and vowed to unplug one of two rovers roaming the red planet. Then a NASA spokesman told CNN that "the cancellation of the Mars Exploration Rovers is not under consideration." More»

Opportunity Knocks on Mars

NASA's rover explores bedrock that could be ancient Martian surface

(NEWSER) - NASA’s Martian explorer Opportunity reached its first destination inside the cavernous Victoria Crater yesterday and prepared to get to work drilling into bright rock layers to collect data. The six-wheeled robot last month began the precarious decline into the crater, headed for a shiny piece of bedrock that scientists think is a relic of the ancient Martian surface, the AP reports. More»

7 Minutes of Danger in Mars Quest

Probe makes risky landing Sunday in hunt for water

(NEWSER) - The latest NASA mission searching for signs of life on Mars comes to a heart-pounding climax Sunday as the Phoenix Lander attempts to touch down at the red planet's pole in a hunt for water. The lander must perform complex maneuvers in which the whole mission is at risk for a full 7 minutes, reports the Christian Science Monitor. More»

Mars Rover Steps Into Crater

NASA vehicle got second chance, after withstanding a two-month dust storm

(NEWSER) - The dust has finally settled on Mars, and NASA's Mars rover Opportunity took its first steps Tuesday 13 feet into the half-mile-wide Victoria Crater—and then backed out after slipping beyond acceptable levels. With Opportunity's six wheels perched over the lip of the crater, researchers paused the operation in order to analyze data collected in the foray, Wired reports. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Built for 90 Days, Mars Rovers Mark 5 Years

Spirit, Opportunity brave adversity, and they're not done yet

NASA • Mars • Opportunity • Spirit • rover

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Mars Rovers Dodge NASA Cuts

Budget called for 1 to hibernate, 1 to go part-time

$4M NASA Cut May Strand Mars Rover

Shrinking budget could also leave 300 jobless

Opportunity Knocks on Mars

NASA's rover explores bedrock that could be ancient Martian surface

7 Minutes of Danger in Mars Quest

Probe makes risky landing Sunday in hunt for water

Mars Rover Steps Into Crater

NASA vehicle got second chance, after withstanding a two-month dust storm

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?